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August 30, 2009—Proper 17

Lectionary Texts: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9; Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9 or Psalm 15; James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon Text: James 1:17-27

Orphans and Widows

This is the second of three messages for Christians who are serious about serving God and participating in growing the kingdom of God. Last week we considered the absolute necessity of putting on the full armor of God, which God has given us in order to fulfill our roles and responsibilities as full participants in the kingdom. This week we are looking at another essential, practical aspect of “Kingdom living:” How to handle trials and temptations. Let’s read the passage.

[Read James 1:17-27]

As many of you know, I travel a lot, and in my car I often listen to the radio. One of my favorite moments listening to radio happened a few years ago. Driving in my car--I think I was driving from Boston to northern Vermont, about a four hour trip--I was listening to a Christian talk radio program. The host, called the “Bible Answer Man” was taking calls from listeners. One caller asked a question, but she would not let him answer. She kept talking and talking. Finally, the Bible Answer Man interrupted her. “How do you expect to learn anything,” he asked, “when you keep talking?”

How many people do you know who love their own ideas, their own words, their own voice, so much that they just cannot stop talking? Such behavior is deadly in our own human relationships. It stifles all real sharing. We really cannot get to know others if we keep talking and don’t listen. This kind of behavior--talking without listening--is also deadly in ministry. A number of years ago I invited another person to come with me on a hospital visit. In such a situation the rules are, (1) don’t stay long and, (2) focus on the needs of the person you are visiting. Well, the entire time we were there this person never stopped talking about himself. Every story focused on him. Every brief statement made by the patient resulted in a lengthy monologue by my companion about his illnesses, his family, his problems. This is not why we were there.

This type of behavior is even more hazardous to our spiritual health. We must be ready to hear the Word of God. We must learn to be silent before the Lord. We must take time each day to put aside our own ideas, our own plans, our own agenda, and hear what God has to say to us.

Our epistle lesson for this morning offers us several helpful insights into how we can know that we are truly hearing God’s Word:

1. We must be slow to speak: We must place ourselves in a listening posture. We must stop the constant inner voice in our heads which is preparing for the next thing we are going to say, the next thing we must do. Have you ever found yourself in a conversation where you were sure the other person did not hear a word you were saying? How many times have you started thinking about what you are going to say next, before the other person in the conversation has even finished their statement? Maybe, right now, you are thinking about what you are going to do after church.,

Learning to turn off your preconceived notions about right and wrong, truth and reality and simply listening to what God has to say can be life-changing. We are all a bit self-delusional, and much of what we tell ourselves about our own behavior is an attempt to rationalize our failures, our mistakes, even our sin. We must learn to be quiet, stop talking, and listen to God’s voice.

2. We must be slow to anger. The word translated here as anger is closer to losing our temper to the point of rage. It is the type of rage that comes from frustration, from not getting our own way. Does that change your understanding of that verse for you? It does for me. When it just said, “be slow to anger” I can rationalize it as “I am not an angry person.” But losing my temper because I get frustrated, well that hits a little closer to home. If I am focused on getting my own way, achieving my own goals, whether it is on the road driving, at work, or in my family, if I am focused on getting my own way I cannot hear God’s voice.

And this anger is not always manifested in lashing out and attacking. It can also be tone of voice, rolling of eyes, sarcasm which clearly communicates that “you get on my nerves, you are in my way, you frustrate me.” When we do this we are focused on getting our needs met, completing our agenda. Whenever we are focused there, and willing to lash out at others when they frustrate our plans--whether the lashing out is active like road rage or passive like sarcasm--we are not in a position to hear God. We are on dangerous ground.

3. We must put aside all moral filth. God is not a cosmic killjoy. God does not demand that we walk around singing hymns and reciting Scripture all the time. We are encouraged to enjoy life. We must allow God’s Spirit to remove the moral filth from our lives. For many of us there is opportunity and attraction to thoughts and places which are clearly contrary to God’s will. Those things that move our minds away from God are not to have a part in our lives. God is calling us to take off those things that are dirty, and God has laid out new, clean clothes for us. It is time to put them on.

The Greek word for filth comes from another Greek word which means wax in the ear. Moral filth in our lives is like wax which so clogs our ear that we cannot hear the Word of God.

4. We must remove that evil that remains around us. Even when we allow the Holy Spirit to remove the moral filthiness, there will be evil that will show up. There are some kinds of sin that are around us in our culture, and if we are not careful, this sin will stick to us. Prejudice is an example of this, as are materialism and greed. We must be alert to such evil rising up within us, confess it as sin and allow God to remove it. If we do not we will find that there are entire areas of God’s Word that we are not able to hear.

5. We must allow the Word of God to be planted within us. Imagine what a great treasure this is. When we hear God’s Word, it is planted within us. It teaches us, protects us, helps us defeat temptation, and assist others in knowing God’s will for their own lives.

You might be thinking, “So Pastor, what you are saying is, if we are hearing the Word of God, truly hearing it, then that is enough.” No!

We must put it into practice. There are many people who have heard God’s Word for years and are not changed. It is as if preaching has become entertainment for them. They can tell you how many evangelists they have heard, but cannot tell you how many people they have talked to about Jesus. Their Bible is filled with highlights and underlined with God’s promises, but they are filled with fear and anxiety. They have Christian tapes, Christian CDs, go to camp meeting, Christian concerts, and Bible studies, but see nothing wrong with gossiping (which by the way is any time you talk about someone when they are not in the room, the topic does not fit under the topics Paul discusses in Phillipians 4:8--go ahead, you can look it up, and your comments tear down the person, rather than builds them up.) They see nothing wrong with gossiping or having a critical spirit. Oh, they would not consider it a critical spirit--they call it “just speaking my mind.” Well if that is your mind, and it is that critical, then the Holy Spirit needs to get a hold of your mind, because your mind is causing you to sin.

There are many people who have heard God’s Word but they are not changed. They do not see themselves clearly. They are not hearing God’s Word in the right spirit. When we do hear God’s Word in the right spirit, we become like Isaiah: “Woe to me, I am ruined. For I am a man of unclean lips and I have seen the King, the holy One, the Lord God Almighty” (Isaiah 6:5).

Those who have heard the Word of God--truly heard it, and desire to put it into practice, are in no danger of becoming judgmental or “holier-than-thou.” They are completely aware of their sin, of the danger of being a hypocrite if they speak as if they have got it all together spiritually, of God’s grace which is greater than all our sin, and of their need to no longer give in to temptation. They find it easy to offer God’s grace to others, as it has been offered to them.

Hearing the Word, and putting it into practice, means controlling the tongue.

If you would like a list of what we must not do, here it is:

• interrupting and dominating the conversation

• being easily provoked and lashing out at others

• gossiping and telling tales

• criticizing and murmuring

• judging and condemning others

• cursing and coarse slang

• engaging in suggestive talk

• talking about and putting down others, even under the guise of joking

If we are to withstand temptation, we must call upon God’s Spirit to help us learn to control our tongue.

If we are to do the Word of God, not just hear it, we must follow God’s clear teaching. Here James gives us a command that is directly from God. We must take care of those who are in need. We must take care of those within our church who are hurting. This is the job of all of us. We must go outside our comfort zone and visit those who are sick, alone, in grief.

We must also open ourselves up to our entire community, letting them know that we are here for them. Some folks, some times, have picked up the idea that the Church is for those who are members, especially for those who have been around for awhile. Rather, it is not just for the members, but the Church exists also for those who are not members, for those who are not even attendees. That is why we need members. Members are those who commit to do the work of the Church, to reach out to those in need. The Church is expressly designed to help folks who do not belong to it, some of whom cannot imagine that they will ever have a need for it. We are here for them. I know, I like us too, but just hanging around with each other, enjoying each other’s company, is not why we are here.

James reminds us that while we reach out to the world, we must not be polluted by it. We must be extremely careful. Some of us have let our guard down, looked other places for comfort, attention, affirmation, success, love, entertainment, peace. We have looked other places and suffered the consequences. The temptation is great. We cannot do this alone. We need God’s Spirit. We need true Christian community.

Verse 27 offers us the perfect balance that can be found within the life of the believer who is led by the Holy Spirit. We are called and equipped to respond with compassion to the needs of those who are in danger, while remaining clean and pure. If we as believers focus on one aspect of this command, and forget the other, then we are out of balance and in danger of missing the mark of the true follower of Christ. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit, working in our lives and in the church, can we live out this command and truly live balanced lives in concert with the Word of God.

Have you found yourself having difficulty hearing God’s Word? Have you found it difficult to put into practice the Word you have heard? Have you looked into the mirror recently and not like the spiritual reflection you have seen? Are you not sure that you are ready to face the temptation that is all around you? We need each other. As we close our service this morning, and you are looking for more strength to live the life of faith, don’t leave today without praying and talking with someone about it.